


Promotional Material

by LadyDrace



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Diners, Alternate Universe - Human, Flirting, Getting Together, M/M, Promotions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-26
Updated: 2017-09-26
Packaged: 2019-01-05 18:00:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,184
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12194916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyDrace/pseuds/LadyDrace
Summary: Derek works at a 24 hour diner. Stiles likes to hang out, and it's most definitely not for the menu. But it turns out maybe he's good for more than just eating curly fries and flirting.





	Promotional Material

**Author's Note:**

  * For [alexisintheinternet](https://archiveofourown.org/users/alexisintheinternet/gifts).



> Originally [posted on Tumblr](http://ladydrace.tumblr.com/post/153009941456/alexisintheinternet-answered-your-question-send) for the prompt by alexisintheinternet: "working in a 24 hour diner au".
> 
> Unbetaed.

”Don’t you have one of those- what’s the word again? Oh, right. A life?” Derek asks, holding up the coffee pot in question.

 

Stiles sticks his tongue out at Derek’s words, but still holds up his cup for the offered refill. ”What good is a life when there’s a nugget of gold like this twenty four hour dump to hang out in?”

 

”I’ll never stop being amazed how you can praise something and then insult it in the same sentence.”

 

”Of course you’re amazed at my skill, I’m amazing!” Stiles beams, and then winces because he always somehow forgets that the coffee will be hot immediately after a refill. For someone so brilliant, he’s weirdly dumb sometimes. But, then again, regardless of his level of bookish intellect, he still chooses to spend most nights sitting at the counter of a mediocre family diner in a not great part of town, so that probably should have been a sign. A sign of what, exactly, Derek isn’t sure, but definitely an indication that there’s something wrong with Stiles.

 

And, consequently, that there’s something even more wrong with Derek, because he likes the guy. Likes him a lot. To an extent where he’s started actually asking for night shifts just to hang out with him. It’s pathetic.

 

”Right. Amazing. Sure.”

 

”Don’t front, you adore me.”

 

”Eh,” Derek shrugs. ”You keep us in business.”

 

Stiles snorts. ”Doubtful, considering your limitless refills.”

 

”That’s just coffee. I’m pretty sure we’d tank without you eating all the curly fries we got.”

 

”Mmm, curly fries,” Stiles moans, eyes going distant. ”I could totally use some right now.”

 

Derek raises an eyebrow at him. ”It’s three AM. And you had a sandwich less than an hour ago.”

 

”I’m a growing boy!”

 

”Riiight.”

 

”I am!”

 

It’s gratifying in a petty kind of way how Stiles squirms as Derek looks him up and down. ”In what area are you expecting to grow, exactly?”

 

”Never you mind, asshole,” Stiles says, and actually crosses his legs like Derek asked something lewd. He didn’t. He did  _not_! ”Stop it with the third degree and whip me up some curly fries! Chop chop, minion!”

 

”I’m not paid enough for this,” Derek grumbles as he gets the fries started.

 

”Of course not, which is why I, as a concerned citizen, am here on my precious free time offering my services to keep you company and in business!”

 

”You’re telling me you’re here out of the goodness of your heart?”

 

”Well, it sure ain’t for the coffee,” Stiles huffs, and pours an extra packet of sugar into his cup. Judging from his grimace as he tastes it, it doesn’t make much difference.

 

”I know. It’s crap. I wanna make this place better, but I’m just an employee, I can’t change anything.”

 

Stiles seems to be studying him. ”What, really?”

 

”Yeah. I mean, this isn’t what I planned on doing, but… I kinda like it. And I wanna do more with it.”

 

”Huh. I have to admit I’m a little surprised. You complain a lot for someone who likes it.”

 

”You’d complain too if something you enjoy was kept at a shitty level because management doesn’t see a future here.”

 

”But you do?”

 

Derek nods, keeping his eyes on the fryer. He hasn’t actually ever told anyone any of this, but somehow it’s easy with Stiles.

 

”Are you serious about this?” Stiles asks after a long pause. ”I mean, if you could actually make this happen, would you be ready to work for it?”

 

Turning around, Derek stares at Stiles. ”Yeah. Yeah, I would.”

 

Stiles nods, and then cracks a tiny smile. ”Would you let me help you?”

 

”How, exactly, do you think you’d be able to help me?”

 

The smile on Stiles’ face grows as he boots up his laptop. ”You know how you’ve said a few times that I seem smart but you can’t figure out how? I’m about to  _show_  you how.”

 

For the remainder of the night shift, Stiles interrogates Derek about everything. What he’d do if he was manager, how he’d change things, what he’d do for employees, for the menu, for the wages, for the expenses, for renovations, and – most importantly – how to pay for it all. Derek has ideas, but he’d never really known where to even start expanding on them. Stiles does. Only a few days later he’s formulated a battle plan. Derek doesn’t know what else to call it. It sounds great, and Derek feels weirdly bolstered by it. Enough so that when Stiles tells him it’s good to go, Derek doesn’t waste any time taking it to the owners.

 

He doesn’t actually think anything much will come of it. There’s a vague hope that maybe the owners will at least realize that things aren’t so great and maybe listen to their employees more in the future. He does not expect to be called in for an actual job interview for the manager’s job.

 

Taking the job he’s offered is a no-brainer. But it does mean no more night shifts, and it’s not like he’d ever ask for a customer’s number, even one he likes as much as Stiles. So Derek resigns himself to do without the snarky commentary on every topic imaginable every night, and sets about fixing up the place. He’s helping putting up their new sign, with a little less neon and a lot less rust, when there’s a slow clap from the ground.

 

”Looks great!”

 

”What are you doing here? In daylight!” Derek yells down at him, grinning like a madman, and feeling a shocking amount of joy just seeing Stiles at all.

 

”The night-gremlin told me you’d gotten promoted. Congrats!”

 

”Thanks! Wait, you mean Isaac?”

 

Stiles shrugs. ”Probably. His curly fries suck.”

 

”We all make them the same, Stiles,” Derek laughs as he climbs off the ladder, leaving Boyd to secure the last bolts.

 

”Eh. Yours are just better.”

 

”Or maybe you’re biased,” Derek says, and he doesn’t even care that Boyd is openly snorting at how flirtatious he sounds. He’s not about to fire himself for inappropriate behavior towards a customer. ”Want some?”

 

”Boy, do I ever,” Stiles purrs, and Derek can’t help but laugh.

 

”Curly fries, Stiles. On the house. As a thank you for all your help.”

 

Stiles grins at him, openly delighted. ”Sure. You can start with those. You’ll still owe me, though.”

 

”Oh?” Derek says, holding open the door for Stiles to step inside. ”Like what?”

 

”Like a few dozen dates with opportunity for promotion to going steady?”

 

Derek smiles at him, and follows him to his regular seat at the counter. ”Is getting me promotions some kind of hobby for you?”

 

”Just looking out for your interests,” Stiles says casually, and then adds, softer, ”kinda hoping they’ll end up being my interests too.”

 

”I’d say your chances are pretty good,” Derek says, just as softly, and then saunters around the counter. ”Leave your number, and I’ll get back to you.”

 

”Fucker,” Stiles says, but he’s beaming like the sun, and Derek feels like it’s gonna be sunny for a long time.

 

End.


End file.
